


Reformation Centre: Facility Zero

by WhovianCat128



Category: Re:ゼロから始める異世界生活 | Re:Zero Starting Life in Another World (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Prison, Friendship, Gen, Love at First Sight, Minor Angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 13:33:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29314893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhovianCat128/pseuds/WhovianCat128
Summary: Subaru knew his power would get found out one day. He also knew that he would probably get locked up when it did. But he just didn’t know why the Council thought putting a 17 year old boy in a facility full of criminally powerful magic users was a good idea.
Relationships: Emilia & Natsuki Subaru, Felt & Reinhard van Astrea
Comments: 64
Kudos: 89





	1. Arrival

**Author's Note:**

> AN - In this fic Return by Death is a magic ability, and uses mana to activate. So magic cancelling handcuffs prevent it from activating at death. And yes, magic cancelling handcuffs are a thing in this au.
> 
> Disclaimer - Re: Zero and all of its characters don’t belong to me.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Subaru arrives at Re:Zero, and thanks to his non existent luck, gets caught up in a sticky situation not long after.

The wind whipped around the chopper blades as it descended gently onto the landing pad. The sky above was stormy grey, and the distant crashing of waves came from far below.

_This was it_. A small, functioning corner of Subaru’s mind supplied. He tried to look around, to see where he had been taken, but the sedative he was given hours before was only just starting to wear off.

He felt the sting of a needle on his neck, and mentally flinched. Even his instincts were impossible to act upon, his limbs felt like they were stuck in a heavy vat of honey.

The hiss of the contents of the injection entering his body reached his ears. 

A few seconds later, he jolted up with a gasp. He could move and think properly again! The needle must have contained some kind of anti-sedative. Did those even exist?

Subaru began to pull himself off of the helicopter flooring, intending to find out where exactly he was. He fell right back onto his back, shrinking away when something emerged into his field of vision.

“Morning, kid.” A muscular man loomed over him, a half used cigarette poking out from his void of a mouth. “Welcome to Reformation Centre: Facility Zero. Or as we like to call it, Re: Zero.”

The man pushed his head closer, so that his nose was millimetres away from Subaru’s. His bushy white eyebrows accentuating his glare. Subaru pressed his back against the helicopter floor, shifting away from the man’s uncomfortable stare.

The giant threw his head back and barked out a laugh. “You’re not gonna last the night in there, kid.”

Subaru gulped. The reason he was being put in a facility was because somehow, someone had found out about Return by Death. The council had given him a vague idea of what had happened. Someone with the power to mind read had done so, and accessed his memories. They had then informed the Council of his ability.

He had had the ability since his birth, and it had saved him many, many times. He’d been a pretty clumsy kid. 

In all honesty, he hadn’t expected to go this long under the council’s radar.

Someone could have found out sooner, as it took up a lot of his mana every time he used it, and left him panting after he came back to life, which was inconvenient - but a fair price for such a useful magic ability.

Even though he really wasn’t a very strong person, the council had deemed a being with his ability too dangerous to be allowed to roam free, lest he destroy the world with his information about the future.

And of course they wouldn’t put him in a nice, normal facility, where only petty thieves and minor hackers were kept. Why would they?

Instead, they put him in Re: Zero. A facility where people and monsters with dangerous magic were kept.

The man was wrong. He wasn’t even going make it through the day.

Subaru was snapped out of his increasingly panicked thoughts by someone grabbing him by the scruff of his neck. He yelled out in surprise.

“Shut up, kid.” 

“I didn’t say anyth-“ A pair of handcuffs were clapped over his wrists. From the way a chill ran down his spine and his body froze, he realised that they must have been made of magic nullifying metal. 

His breath came out in a sharp gasp out of his trembling lips when he realised what that meant. 

The handcuffs stopped him from using any of the mana in his body. No mana meant no magic. Return by Death was a magic ability. So it wouldn’t kick in if he died. It would be game over for him.

His eyes widened in fear. His mind went blank. He hadn’t ever considered the possibility that he might...really die someday.

“Oi, kid. Eyes forward.” 

Subaru realised his legs had stopped moving, and that the man was now dragging him, yanking on his shirt collar.

He glared his legs back into action. If he was had to die, he was going to die like a man.

He was led into what he assumed was an unadorned reception area. There was a pretty woman sitting behind a polished wooden desk.

“Who’ve ya got there, Rom?” She smirked, her half lidded eyes running over Subaru. “I wonder what his guts look li-“

“Elsa, this kid here is inmate 0401.”

Else’s demeanour changed completely. She clapped her hands together. “Oh my! I was wondering when you’d bring him in. Your file was very interesting. Revival from death...and such a young boy too! Not as young as some others we’ve had, though.” Elsa purred, and started tapping something into her computer.

Subaru was pushed towards a dull metal door to the left of her desk. Its impenetrable surface was decorated with mysterious large scratches. He shuddered. He had an extremely bad feeling about this.

Elsa flapped her hand halfheartedly. “Off you go. Block 1, Cell 5. Follow the signs, sweetie.”

His gaze wandered from her waving hand to the seemingly endless corridor that stretched before him.

Subaru stepped forward, determined to hide the way his legs trembled from fear.

Every step he took promised to consume his body with fright. The concrete walls and extra dark shadows unhelpfully reminded him of a horror film he once watched. The protagonist died.

His breath caught in his throat as goosebumps shot down his back. It almost felt like...someone was watching him.

Ignoring the self preservation instincts that screamed at him to _run run run_ , he kept his head down and carried on walking at a steady pace, clinging onto the childish theory that if he couldn’t see them, they couldn’t see him.

_Step. Step. Step. Step._ Maybe the corridor really was endless. It felt like he had been walking for hours, yet there hadn’t been a single twist or turn. He didn’t dare to look up and see if the signs Elsa had mentioned actually existed.

“Hey there, little kid.” 

His head shot up. Crap. The eyes that had been trained on his back had decided to show themselves.

“If you don't wanna get hurt, cough up whatever you've got!” A blue haired guy smirked. His tongue poked out as if jeering at Subaru.

“I-I don’t have a-anything!” Subaru looked around for help. It was just his luck to get confronted within the first few minutes of his arrival.

“Lie to us, will you? Die, scum!” 

Subaru looked down and saw a little boy. Strangely enough, he reminded him of a chestnut.

There was only one thing for it. If he ran, they would chase him. If he fought, he could get a few hits in and _then_ run?

Subaru pulled his arm back, and thrust it forward into chestnut’s face. He felt kinda bad for hitting a little kid...but hey, they picked on him first. His fist connected with a satisfying WHAM!

_ Ow. That hurt his hand. _

Chestnut went flying backwards into Tongue’s stomach, sending them both sprawling onto the floor.

Subaru grinned, but just as he was about to turn tail and sprint back towards where he came from, he was stopped in his tracks.

Another man had appeared before him. He was a big lump of a man, with a few plaits of dark coloured hair swishing behind him.

Lump grinned down at him over his large body.

“Where’d’ya think you’re goin’?” He sneered.

Subaru backed away. Maybe he could run the other way?

He spun around and rammed face first into Tongue. Both he and Chestnut he gotten back up, and were cracking their fists menacingly.

This was bad. Very, _very_ bad.

Subaru whipped his head from side to side, trying to keep track of all three of them.

His legs shook and his knees gave out. The adrenaline from before had worn off, leaving behind a hopeless numbness that threatened to devour him. Kneeling on the floor, Subaru took a deep breath.

There was one last thing he could try. He wasn’t sure this was going to work. But he really, really didn’t want to die today.

“GUARDS!” He shouted. His cry for help echoed and bounced off the walls, growing quieter with each ghostly repetition.

Subaru revelled in the terrified expressions of his attackers. 

_ So there is some kind of police force! _

That spark of hope that had formed was quickly snuffed out when no one came. Not a single soul other than him and the three thugs were in the corridor.

“You really scared us, brat, I’ll give you that.” Tongue chuckled. “But hey, no one’s coming.”

Lump stomped closer, and lifted his foot so that it was positioned above Subaru’s head. A slight lapse in balance and his head would be flatter than a tire after being thrown into a pit of nails.

_ Please, someone...anyone... _

_... **save me**. _

“That’s enough.”


	2. The Master Swordsman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Subaru’s saved!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And enter my favourite boy, Reinhard! Enjoy!

Subaru turned his gaze to the newcomer.

Tongue took a step back. “R-Red hair...”

“And blue eyes...” Chestnut continued fearfully.

“Could that be...?” Lump gulped.

“R-Reinhard the Master S-Swordsman?” They looked ridiculous, flinching away from the lone man.

_Master Swordsman? Don’t swordsmen usually....have swords?_ Subaru wondered. 

“Looks like I don't need to introduce myself.” He smiled at them. “Though, to be honest, that nickname is a bit much for me.”

Subaru’s eyes locked onto the collar around Reinhard’s neck. There was roughly enough space between it and his neck to squeeze a finger in.

Was he an inmate too? The fact that his attire was the same jumpsuit as the three men’s was, he probably was. Was his collar like the magic cancelling handcuffs? He had no idea.

Reinhard continued. “I don't know how much help my modest strength can be to him, but if you wish to resort to extreme measures, let me warn you.” He took a step towards them.

“I will have to fight back.”

As Reinhard got closer, Lump hastily removed his foot from its collision course with Subaru’s head, and he finally let out the breath he didn’t realise he had been holding in.

He was _saved._

The three thugs made their exit, running away as quickly as they could.

Reinhard turned to Subaru, holding out a hand to help him up, which he gladly took. He grasped onto the well worn black glove and rose up off of the ground. “Glad we both came out of that unscathed. Lucky break, huh?” His rescuer said.

“Th-Thank you, Sir! You saved my life!” Subaru bowed to him.

“Hey, come on now, there's no need for such formality.” His saviour said, amused. “Once it was two of us against three, those thugs lost their advantage on the situation.”

His words echoed in the empty corridor as he fiddled with his collar absentmindedly. “Things might've been different if I were alone.”

How modest could one guy be? He just scared away three grown men by simply existing, and yet he still said ‘things might have been different’? The only thing that could have been different was that he never would’ve gotten into that situation in the first place...

“Sir, can I ask you a question?” Subaru asked hesitantly. His curiosity was bubbling up inside of him, and threatened to burst out at any moment.

“Of course! And please call me Reinhard.” He tilted his head rather adorably.

“Call me Subaru then.” Subaru ran his eyes over the collar. “What’s the collar for?”

“Ah, the collar...” Reinhard sighed, and Subaru started to grow worried that he might have upset the person who saved him. After a short pause, Reinhard carried on.

“It’s a Collar of Submission. Among other effects, it partially nullifies and suppresses my power.” Upon realising what Subaru must be thinking, he added. “Don’t worry, my friend. It’s natural to be curious, you didn’t offend me.”

Subaru nodded thankfully, and raised his hand to rub sheepishly at the back of his neck.

“And...um...do you know where Block 1, Cell 5 is? I don’t really know my way around this place...”

“Of course! I’m in the same Block, I’ll show you the way.”

Reinhard’s light steps tapped on the floor as he walked along the corridor.

Now that his eyes weren’t trained on the ground, Subaru got a good look at his surroundings.

And, as it turns out, the corridor wasn’t infinite. Just...excessively _long_. Probably to deter anyone from trying to escape.

It took a while, but eventually they reached the end of the unbending maze.

Subaru gazed around. This...place was drastically different from where he had just come from. It wasn’t plain, but it strongly evoked a memory of his first attempt at decorating his room.

The walls were painted a lighter shade of grey than the concrete ceiling, an almost-but-not-quite version of white that clashed awfully with the dirt brown seats scattered around the area.

The fluorescent lights that dangled from above bathed the room in an unnaturally harsh brightness, not unlike that of a hospital. 

“This is the common area. I’d advise you avoid coming here alone before you form at least a couple of alliances. Or join a camp.” Reinhard swept his arm through the air. Some of the few inmates dotted around the room glanced their way, before turning back to what they were doing.

“Uh. Sorry, did you say...alliance?” Subaru frowned. Was he meant to know what they meant?

“Oh! I’m very sorry! I should’ve realised, you’re new here, aren’t you?” Reinhard laughed apologetically. “An alliance is a promise you form with one or more other people.”

He carried on. “It’s a friendship of sorts, a vow that you won’t go against them. Your allies can help you out in a fight, or protect you.”

_Alliances seem like useful things to have._ Subaru mused. _Maybe if I make some, I’ll live till tomorrow._

“So what about the other thing? Camps, right?” He prompted.

“Ah, yes. There are five camps in total. Crusch Camp, Anastasia Camp, Emilia Camp, Priscilla Camp, and the one I personally serve, Felt Camp.” Reinhard explained.

“What are the camps for?” Subaru asked. _Were they like bigger alliances?_

“Each camp is led by an Election Candidate. The Candidates are fighting to be the top dog of the prison. People ask to join a camp if they feel strongly about helping that Candidate, and the Candidate accepts them if they can contribute to their cause. ” Reinhard sighed. “They mostly don’t actually fight, but scheduled matches aren’t uncommon.”

Subaru blinked. He hadn’t expected a prison full of criminals to have such a clear power pyramid.

“So is everyone in a camp?” He questioned.

“No, but they all have someone they want to come out on top.” Came the answer.

Subaru’s mind was spinning. Mostly from the pure bizarreness of it all, but also because he was just so tired.

“Hey Reinhard? I really appreciate you telling me all this and answering my questions.” He laughed, embarrassed. “But I’m about ready to conk out.”

“My sincerest apologies.” Reinhard apologised for what seemed like the hundredth time. “You must be exhausted, I’ll show you to your bed.”

Beckoning to Subaru, Reinhard led him through one of the passageways that connected with the common area.

They walked past several other cells, marked by solid metal doors with only a small barred slot for a window.

Occasionally, there would be a set of eyes peeking out, but they soon flinched away when they saw Reinhard.

_Just how powerful was this guy?_ Subaru pondered.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the last Cell in the Block.

“Here you go, Block 1, Cell 5.” Reinhard pushed the door open for him. “Oh, by the way, lunch is in about an hour. Try not to miss it.”

The redhead bowed politely to him before turning to walk away.

“Reinhard!” Subaru called after him. “Thanks. For showing me around, I mean. See you later, friend.”

Mild surprise flitted across his face, before it was schooled back into a well mannered expression. “It was no trouble at all.” He paused, before his smile grew more genuine. “Friend.”

And with that, Subaru slipped into his ‘ _room_ ’. Frankly speaking, it was worse than the common area. Through eyes blurred with exhaustion, he managed to make out a bare concrete room, unfurnished barring the single bed pushed into the corner.

In that moment though, he couldn’t bring himself to care about the bleak barrenness.

Flopping onto his uncomfortable bed, Subaru sighed. _Might as well take a quick nap now._

He drifted slowly away from consciousness, musing about the stark difference between this strange place and his relatively comfortable life before.

_Man, it kinda feels like I’m starting life in another world.._.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Please feel free to leave any prompts or suggestions in the comments! Have a nice day :)


	3. Emilia!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Subaru meets some new people :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here’s the next chapter! My half-term holiday is about to start, so I should have more time to write because I won’t be drowning under school work!

“-ubaru? Subaru?” A soft voice pierced through his sleep addled mind.

“Mmm...f’ve more min’tes...” He groaned into his pillow. Why did it feel so... _rough_? He didn’t remember his room being this cold either.

The voice laughed lightly. “I’d love to let you sleep, but I’m afraid it’s time for lunch. Regardless of what your habits were when you weren’t here, you’ll regret it if you don’t eat. I can guarantee that from personal experience.”

What was the voice talking about? Wasn’t he _at_ home...?

Subaru shot up with a sharp intake of breath. That’s right. He wasn’t. He was in Re: Zero.

“Did you sleep well?”

His eyes snapped to the voice.

“Reinhard?” Subaru ran a hand through his messy hair. Why was Reinhard here...?

“I got a little worried when you didn’t show up with everyone else, so I came to check on you, and bring you to the canteen.” His friend smiled. “I’m glad you’re alright.”

“Sorry, Reinhard. Guess I overslept.” He yawned, and stretched his arms. “I’m up now.”

“Come on then.” Reinhard waited for Subaru to pull himself off of his bed. He yelped as his bare feet met the cold stone floor.

“There’s a pair of shoes to your right.” Reinhard pointed out, gesturing to a set of light coloured sneakers next to his bed.

Subaru huffed, embarrassed. Those weren’t there before....right?

He slipped them on, revelling in the familiar comfort. These shoes weren’t unlike the ones he wore at home. In fact, they fit him way too perfectly to be some standard issue prison gear...

“Um...Reinhard?” He asked.

“Yes?” His friend gave him his attention.

“Where exactly...did these come from?” Subaru pointed at his covered feet.

“...I’m afraid I have absolutely no idea.” His friend said, averting his eyes and shaking his head frantically. Subaru facepalmed. Reinhard was probably pretty powerful, judging by everyone’s reactions to him, but he was a seriously shoddy liar.

For now though, Subaru just shrugged anddecided to save it for later. The last time he ate was a few hours before he was tossed onto the chopper and flown here. He was starving.

He quickly finished tying up his laces into loose bows that flopped when he took an experimental step, and walked over to meet Reinhard.

“Lead on, Reinhard!” Subaru gave a playful bow to his friend.

“Right this way.” He smiled back.

The two inmates walked towards the lunch hall. 

Subaru’s heart started pounding in his chest, amplifying with every step he took. The only people he had met since arriving here had been Reinhard and the three thugs...there’d been the curious people peeking out of their doors, and the men in the common area, but he hadn’t really talked to them.

Subaru was pretty sure lots of people would be in the canteen. Lots of people who may or may not try to kill him. Ruling out the risks though, it would probably be a good opportunity to form some alliances.

“Here we are!” Reinhard pushed open a door. One of the swingy ones that could smack into the face of the person behind you. Making sure to close the door behind him gently, Subaru stepped into the canteen.

_ Oh, boy... _

He froze in shock. Even his most generous estimates hadn’t been able to capture just how many people were crammed into one room.

“Are you alright?”

Blue eyes filled with concern were peering at him.

“I-I’m fine, Reinhard. There’s just...a lot of people.” He gulped.

“My apologies, I should have known it would be rather overwhelming to a newcomer.” His friend’s gaze swept around the room before locking onto the table furthest away from the door. “Let’s go and sit down. My Lady is waiting for me.”

“Sounds good.” Subaru let his attention wander around the room, and followed Reinhard, making sure to stick close to him. Strangely enough, the people that had been crowding the space before him scrambled to get out of his way.

_Just more evidence that this guy was some kinda badass serial killer._ Subaru mentally sighed. _Well, he’s keeping me alive for now. If it wasn’t for him, I’d probably be dead meat..._

“Hey! Reinhard! What took ya so long?”

“Lady Felt.” Reinhard bowed. Subaru peeked out from behind Reinhard’s back. 

An angry looking girl with blonde hair and red eyes was standing in front of his friend. She was glaring at him with her arms crossed...Subaru snickered. She was pretty cute.

“And who’re you? What’re you laughing at?” She growled, pointing an accusing finger at him.

“This is Subaru, the boy I told you about an hour or so ago?” Reinhard introduced, stepping to the right and revealing Subaru in all of his bed headed glory.

The girl scrutinised him.

“Pff. You really oversold him. I was more imagining some mystical being with all the praise you were spewing about him.” She scoffed. “He looks just about as normal as they come.”

“Don’t judge a book by its cover, Lady Felt.” Reinhard said fondly. “You can sit here, Subaru. Welcome to the table of Candidates and their knights!”

Subaru sat down next to Reinhard, his whole body trembling. If this was a table for Candidates and their knights, then _what the hell was he doing here?_

A hand tapped his shoulder, and he jumped in his seat. He whipped his head around, and...

...was met with a pair of gorgeous lavender eyes, wide and curious.

“H-Hello!” Subaru squeaked. He could feel himself slowly morphing into a tomato. _Damn it! She’s the first cute girl I’ve met in here, and I just had to screw up and act like an awkward high school kid._

“Hi?” She tilted her head so that some silver hair fell onto her face. “What’s your name?”

Subaru opened and closed his mouth, gaping like a fish. _Say something!_ His mind was too busy trying to figure out if the reason she was in prison was because her level of cuteness was illegal.

“R-Reinhard!” Subaru stammered. Wrong name!

“Yes? Oh, I see you’ve met Emilia, Subaru!” His friend came to his rescue once again.

“Subaru...?” Emilia asked Reinhard.

“Yes, he’s new here.” His friend smiled.

Subaru silently begged Reinhard to keep talking while he tried to wrangle his brain back under control.

He had almost gotten his mouth to work when a quiet “Stop” made him freeze. Subaru yelped as a stab of pain concentrated on the top of his head, then faded quickly to a dull ache.

He craned his neck to look upwards.

There was another cute girl standing next to him. One sapphire blue eye was looking at him, and the other was covered by a waterfall of lapis coloured hair.

“You were undressing Lady Emilia with your eyes, weren’t you?” 

Subaru looked at the speaker. A girl who looked almost exactly like the one who had just karate chopped his head was standing to Emilia’s right and glaring daggers at him.

The only differences between the two were hair and eye colour. Other than that, they were identical. Only by appearances of course. There was a pretty obvious difference in their personalities. Blue had wide, innocent eyes, and looked like someone who hadn’t nearly split his head open, while Red was staring at him suspiciously with her eyes narrowed.

“R-Rem? Ram? What are you two doing?” Emilia stammered, waving her hands frantically. “Subaru wasn’t doing anyth-“

“Sister, sister, Lady Emilia is pleading his innocence.” Blue said.

“Rem, Rem, Lady Emilia is too nice.” The red one said.

If the blue one was Rem... then the red one would have to be Ram, right?

Another bonk on his head sent him sprawling...right onto Emilia.

“O-Oh!” She gasped.

The hit on his head must have knocked a few brain cells loose, because as soon as his head landed on Emilia, his entire world became a blissful paradise.

W-What was this feeling? Was this...the magic of a lap pillow...?

“Sister, sister, he’s enjoying this.”

“Rem, Rem, he’s a creep.”

Subaru shrieked as he was pushed onto the floor.

“What was that for?” He yelled at Ram.

“Sister, sister, he seems confused.”

“Rem, Rem, he must be an idiot.”

“Hey! Don’t call me an idiot after shoving me away from Emilia! That’s just adding insult to injury!” Subaru shouted. Something entered his peripheral vision.

“Are you alright?” Emilia was holding a hand out to him.

Subaru grabbed her hand and pulled himself up.

“Thanks Emilia!” He smiled at her. “You’re very nice, unlike those two.”

Emilia giggled, and the twins’ expressions softened.

They returned to their seats, silently enforcing a temporary truce. Reinhard pushed a bowl of food in front of him. Subaru nodded gratefully, his stomach felt like a black hole ready to suck everything up.

Subaru stole a glance at the girl next to him as he lifted up a spoonful of cereal and milk to his mouth.

_ Geez, Emilia...Why are you so cute...? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Leave any prompts or suggestions you have in the comments! Have a nice day :)


	4. To Speak the Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that he can’t use his ability, Subaru wants to test something out...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! I’m afraid this chapter isn’t particularly romantic...just like my day today...Anyway! A lot of the chapter consists of _Subaru-Thought-Italics_ , because I felt like it...

Subaru chewed thoughtfully, stealing quick glances at Emilia. A while ago, he had read on the internet that one of the most important things when interacting with girls was a good conversation starter. Ideas whizzed through his head, ranging from asking her out (Impossible in his current situation) to talking about the weather (He had no idea what it was like outside). They were being dismissed as quickly as they came.

“Why are you here?”

Subaru nearly spat out his cereal. He hadn’t noticed the fact that Emilia was openly staring at him until she spoke. His brain short circuited when he tried to formulate an answer.

_ Crap. What was the question again? _

“I-I...Uh.” Subaru’s tongue felt too big in hissuddenly desert-like mouth.

“Why are you here?” Emilia repeated, turning in her seat so that she was facing him.

“I-I’m eating.” He managed to force out. _Did that seem rude? Was he being rude to Emilia?_

“I mean, why are you _here_?” She emphasised the ‘here’, pointing to the ground.

_ Was she asking why he was in Re: Zero? _

“T-The Council put me h-” He answered, then stopped.

_ Wait. If his power was unusable right now...did that mean he could...? _

Subaru cleared his throat. He desperately pushed down the glimmer of hope that had sparked to life. He had to try.

“I can Return by Death.”

And just like that, his breath caught in his throat. What had just happened? No...What _hadn’t_ just happened?

He felt hot tears sting at his eyes, and his hands started to tremble. It felt like he had suddenly forgotten how to breathe. An emotion akin to disbelief welled up inside of him, growing so powerful that he just wanted to scream.

Somewhere off in the distance, he heard a panicked voice calling his name, and a firm hand squeezing his shoulder. None of that mattered though. Was he hallucinating? He had to be, right?

“I-I can Return by Death.” He whispered.

_ It was real. _

“Subaru?”

A concerned voice snapped him out of his numb haze.

“Are you alright?” Emilia continued, pressing a hand to his forehead. “You’re not sick, are you?”

“N-No...I’m fine.” Subaru did his best to suppress the need to yell and pull at his hair. He couldn’t draw any attention to himself.

“Then why...” Emilia covered his hand in her own. Her voice dropped down to a sad, quiet whisper. “...Are you crying?”

Subaru lifted a trembling hand and brushed it across his face. His fingers came away wet with tears. He swiped away the traitorous drops quickly and quirked his lips up in a smile.

“I’m happy, Emilia.” He grinned. That was right. He was happy. 

“That’s good.” She patted his head. “How about you ask me a question? I’ll answer it!”

_ She’s so cute...changing the subject and even offering up some sweet info about herself! _

“Hmm...” Subaru started. “Why do you want to win the Election?”

She blinked at him. 

He blinked back.

Emilia broke the silence with a quiet giggle. “Is that really it?”

“Yes?” Subaru replied.

“That’s an easy question to answer!” Her tone became more serious. “I have only one wish.”

Subaru leaned forward as he listened intently.

“For all to be equal.” She said, and her eyes narrowed in determination. “To create a place where all are equal!”

Her proclamation filled Subaru’s chest with a warm fuzzy feeling, leaving no room for the shock from before. Those words felt so out of place coming out of an inmates mouth, but she said it so earnestly that he had no choice but to believe it.

_Her nature seems like one that would never change_...Subaru smiled.

“That’s my E.M.A!” He flashed her a thumbs up. Ram bristled at Subaru claiming Emilia was ‘ _his_ ’ anything.

“E.M...A?” She cocked her head to the side.

“Emilia, Major Angel!” He pumped his fist into the air, locking away the precious gem of information that he could actually tell someone. Tell someone about Return to Death, and not be trapped in a terrible nightmare full of fear, with shadowed hands stroking and pulling at his prone heart.

Rem giggled at him from her place beside Emilia.

“T-Thank you?” Emilia stuttered. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but the deafening, piercing amplified sound of a bell interrupted her words.

Subaru clamped his hands over his ears and gritted his teeth. _What on earth was that?_

The bell stopped as suddenly and without warning as it started, and Subaru puffed out a sigh of relief. His ears would live to hear another day.

He heard the scraping of lots of chairs being pushed back, and saw people rising to their feet. A hand clasped around his arm and gently pulled him upwards.

“Why is everyone standing up?” Subaru looked around.

“That bell signals the end of our lunch.” Reinhard released him as he explained. “We now have about an hour of recreation, which you may use as you wish.”

“As I wish, huh?” Subaru placed a thoughtful hand on his chin. “Are there any fun things to do around here?”

“Well, there’s the library.” Emilia suggested. “It’s filled to the brim with books. Would you like me to accompany you?”

“Accompany?” Subaru echoed, then smirked. “No one says ‘accompany’ in this day and age!”

“Yes they do!” She scolded. “So would you rather go on your own?”

“No! Come with me!” He pouted at her.

“Alright then.” She tugged on his arm and stayed speed walking towards the door. “Let’s go!”

“H-Hey! Slow down!” He cried.

Emilia pointedly ignored him. Subaru was about to dig in his heels and demand that she allow him to go at a more human-suitable pace, when she suddenly skidded to a halt. He heard a soft thump.

Subaru glanced at what had stopped them. A boy only a little taller than Subaru had his back turned to them, unaware that Emilia had just bumped into him.

“Excuse me?” Subaru asked tentatively. It didn’t seem like Emilia was going to say anything, but they couldn’t wait there all day.

The boy jumped, and light blue eyes turned to meet his own. His arm hastily raised to sheepishly ruffle grey hair.

“Sorry about that...I wasn’t paying attention!” He laughed self-consciously.

“It’s okay.” Emilia smiled at him. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Otto! Nice to meet you!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed! I hope you had a nice day with your partner! Or maybe you don’t have one...either way, stay safe and use protection :)


	5. The Library

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emilia drags Subaru to the library after they say goodbye to Otto.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So when I said half term holidays would give me more time to write, what I really meant was half term holidays would give me more time to procrastinate. I’m sorry! I’m currently binge watching Naruto...I finished the first original seasons worth of 220 episodes, and now I’m swimming through shippuden’s 500 episodes. Kakashi’s awesome :)

Otto gave them a quick bow, before turning back around and strolling away.

“My name is Subaru Natsuki!” Subaru shouted after him, cupping a hand next to his mouth to amplify his words.

“I hope we meet again, Natsuki!” Otto smiled and waved, before he was swallowed up by the infinite walls that made up Re: Zero. Subaru’s gaze lingered on where he had walked off to.

_ He seems like a pretty nice guy, and those are fairly rare around here...I should find him again later. Maybe he’ll want to form an alliance? _

Emilia tugged on his sleeve, and after a nod from him, they carried on walking. She pushed the canteen door open, letting it nearly swing onto his face before pushing him through. He flinched back from the plastic door that had been a mere _millimetre_ away from grazing his nose.

“Don’t do that!” Subaru yelped, holding onto his face protectively.

“Do what?” Emilia flashed him an innocent smile.

Subaru felt his jaw drop. _That wasn’t fair! Using her cuteness to avoid retribution was cheating!_

He huffed in exasperation. “Just carry on.”

He swore he saw a smug smirk zip across her face before she started dragged him along again.

The pair walked through what felt like more than dozen identical corridors before they found themselves in from of a wide, tall wooden door. The patterns in the wood swirled around each other like snakes.

Emilia took out a purple plastic rectangle from her pocket. Subaru would have mistaken it for a credit card if it hadn’t been for the ‘Library Access’ scribbled on it with bright white ink. She pressed it onto what looked like a card reader, one of the most modern things he had seen so far, and a lock clicked.

The door screeched opened, seemingly by itself, and they stepped inside.

“This is the library.” Emilia told him quietly.

“I can tell.” Subaru rolled his eyes. Emilia really hadn’t been exaggerating when she said it was filled to the brim with books. There were shelves upon shelves with books of sizes varying from picture-book thin to encyclopaedia thick. 

Subaru breathed in, relishing in the musty smell of paper. He hadn’t read that many books at home, but how could anyone not love such a homey scent?

“You’ve bought a guest, I suppose.” A shrill voice snapped from somewhere. Subaru scanned the room, but other than Emilia, he couldn’t see any signs of human life.

“Um...Emilia?” Subaru whispered. “I didn’t know books could talk...”

“Don’t be silly!” Emilia chided. “Beatrice isn’t a book!”

“Are you sure...?” He glanced around suspiciously.

“She‘s right, I suppose.”

Subaru watched curiously as a grumpy looking little girl walked out from behind a shelf. Her hair was tied up in two long blond drills and decorated with stripy pink bows. 

Her eyes were blue...with pink butterflies in? He stared at them, only looking away when an accusatory cough warned him he had just made eye contact for an abnormal amount of time.

“Beatrice.” Emilia announced. “This is Subaru! He just arrived!”

“Hmm. You’re looking for entertainment.” Beatrice scowled at him. _Not one for greetings then..._

“Uh...Yes.” Subaru replied. “That’s...why I’m here.”

“Here you go.” She snatched a small book from the shelf she had just appeared from and tossed it at him. Subaru fumbled to catch it, almost dropping it before he managed to get a hold on it with the tips of his fingers.

Subaru let out a breath. “T-Thank you?”

“You’re welcome, I suppose.” Beatrice made a shooing motion with her hands. “Now leave.”

“Bye, Beatrice!” Emilia waved at her. “Say goodbye, Subaru.”

“Bye, loli.” The words slipped out before he could stop them. He clamped a hand over his mouth, and shakily took a step back. Murderous intent was oozing off of the loli.

“L-Loli?” Beatrice growled. “How dare you!”

Emilia jumped out out of the library, pulling Subaru with her and slammed the door shut, just in time for several loud thumps to hit the door. Subaru gulped. He had no doubt the loli wouldn’t have hesitated to decapitate him with books if the door hadn’t been in the way.

He looked down at the book in his hand. “Fairytales of Lugnica...?” _Why did the loli give him a children’s book?_

“Where would you like to go now?”

Subaru glanced up at Emilia as he slipped the book into his pocket. “You should choose. I don’t really know my way around.”

“Alright! Let’s go...to my camp’s territory!” Emilia decided.

“Your camp’s...territory?” Subaru frowned in confusion. _Aren’t ‘territories’ an animal thing? Well, I guess they are fighting to be top dog..._

“Yes!” Emilia grabbed at his sleeve again. “Come on!”

“You do realise I can walk on my own, right?” Subaru muttered under his breath, but nevertheless still allowed himself to be lugged along by Emilia.

Their shoes tapped a quick rhythm on the hard concrete, a steady beat of steps.

Soon, Emilia led him into a room. It was considerably larger than his own cell, but the bleak, grey walls weren’t any different.

“Welcome back, Lady Emilia.” Two oddly familiar voices chorused.

“Hello, Ram and Rem!” Emilia smiled. Subaru shivered at the sight of the blue haired girl. The karate chop to his head was still a prominent memory, and would probably remain that way for some time.

Rem pointed at him.

“Sister, sister, why is he here?”

“Rem, Rem, I don’t know. Should we remove him?” Ram grinned evilly.

“R-Remove?” Subaru edged behind Emilia. That didn’t sound like it would comfortable.

“Wait! Subaru’s my guest! I brought him here!” Emilia corrected swiftly. “You don’t need to hurt him!”

The two girls looked disappointed at that, and a pair of suspicious frowns followed him as he sat down in the chair that Emilia pointed him to.

The chair let out an indignant squeak at the burden he created, and he suddenly felt a strange urge to apologise to it.

Shaking away the laughable image of what it would look like if he did, he looked around the the room’s occupants. There was a painful contrast between kind, sweet Emilia and the savage twins.

“Are they the only people in your camp?” Subaru asked. He thought there’d be a lot more, summing up Emilia’s goals and her pretty looks. Everyone should come flocking to her!

“Well, actually th-“ Emilia was cut off by someone sauntering into the room.

“My, my...I wonder who this is?” A voice drawled, the words curling and twisting as they emerged from a set of smirking lips.

Subaru stared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Leave any suggestions or prompts you want me to do in the comments! They don’t all have to be for this fic specifically. Have a nice day :)


	6. The Clown and a Wish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roswaal makes his appearance and offers to make any wish of Subaru’s come true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so...I’m really sorry I haven’t updated in so long! I’ve been watching anime and procrastinating a whole bunch. The next chapter should hopefully take less time to write, because for once, I have a proper idea of what I want to write. Enjoy this chapter :)

The clown grinned back.

“Oh! Lord Roswaal, this is Subaru. Subaru, this is Lord Roswaal.” Emilia introduced, motioning to both of them.

“Why’re you calling this clown ‘Lord’?” Subaru asked Emilia, not taking his eyes off of him. There was something fishy about him. No doubt about it. There wasn’t a sane person in the world who wore makeup, talked like that, and was referred to as a Lord.

“Well, this is my turf after all, Subaru. I’m the man who owns this area.” The clown widened his infuriating smile.

Subaru felt his eye twitch. He had only known Roswaal for a few seconds, but somehow he already felt a strong urge to slap him.

“Um...Lord Roswaal?” Emilia hesitantly called, raising her hand.

“Yes, Lady Emilia?” The clown tilted his head towards her. Something inside Subaru squirmed at the way the clown was watching her. _That clown better not be tricking her into anything..._

“If it’s not too much trouble...could Subaru be a guest of mine?” She looked hopefully at him. Subaru smiled gratefully back, _being a guest of Emilia’s was like a dream come true!_

“Of course!” Roswaal lifted his arms into the air flamboyantly. “In fact, how about a welcome gift as well?”

Subaru mentally recoiled. What gift would he want from a weird cl-

“I’ll grant any wish of yours! As long as it’s within my power to do so, obviously.”

His eyes widened in surprise. That was oddly generous. Anything he wanted? In that case...

“Let me be a part of Camp Emilia!” He stood up, pushing his chair back in the process. Punching a fist into the air, he proclaimed. “That’s what I want!”

Silence fell upon the room like a curse as everyone mentally repeated the last few seconds, checking and double checking that they hadn’t misheard anything.

Rem sneezed.

“I see...well, the decision is Lady Emilia’s.” Roswaal waved a hand at her.

“Oh! Right.” Emilia turned so that she was facing Subaru. “Are you sure you want this?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Subaru searched his mind for a reason. _Was he missing something?_

“It’s just that...” She shook her head, and lowered her eyes so that they were looking at the ground. After a second, she raised her head again. “Never mind.”

“Alright!” Subaru cheered. “So...is there a ritual or something?”

Emilia nodded. “Just a moment.”

She lifted her hand so that her fingers brushed against Subaru’s forehead. A gentle warmth spread from the contact between them until it encompassed him, filling him with the same quiet fuzziness you might get from a happy ending in a movie.

Subaru strained his eyes to look up. Emilia’s fingers pulsed with a soft blue light as they rested against his head. It flickered a few times before disappearing.

“Did something go wrong?” Subaru blinked the afterimage away and turned his gaze to Emilia.

“No, silly.” She giggled. “It’s done.”

“Oh.” He ran his fingers over his forehead. “What did you do? There isn’t some weird thing on my head now, is there?”

“Of course not.” She looked horrified at the mere thought of leaving any sort of physical blemish on him. “It’s not visible, but the mark of my magic is in you now. Not everyone can sense it though.”

“Your magic?” Subaru frowned at his cuffs. “How come you can use your magic? Mine’s cut off.”

“They placed restraints on me too.” Emilia pointed at a thin band around her wrist. “I can use magic, but only a little bit.”

“Hmm.” Subaru contemplated. He couldn’t bring himself to complain about the handcuffs, even with the threat of death looming over him. After all, he had the freedom to reveal Return by Death to anyone now. But who?

“Subaru?” Emilia jolted him out of his thoughts.

“Y-Yes?” His head jerked up from where it had minutely dropped in concentration.

“Um...in the canteen...?” Her voice drifted away towards the end, as if she didn’t know what to say next.

“Hmm?” Subaru prompted.

“W-Well...” She looked down, and her hair cast a shadow on her face.

“What is it?” He smiled encouragingly at her. _Did I do something wrong?_

“You said something about...Return by Death?” Her speech pitched up as it finished, turning the statement into a hesitant question.

_ Oh, right. I did. I told her about that, didn’t I. If I’m going to be honest, it was more sobbing than telling, but that doesn’t change the fact that she knows. Might as well make her the first one to hear about it from me!  _

“It’s a magic ability I have. When I die, I come back to life at the last checkpoint I reached.” He gestured to himself. “But with these magic blocking cuffs on, it doesn’t activate because it’s a magic ability.”

“H-Huh?” Emilia paled, taking on the appearance of a sheet of blank paper. “You’ve...died? Before?”

“Yes. I didn’t stay dead though.” He grinned before realising that that was rather apparent. “Obviously.”

“Oh.” Emilia just stared at him, seemingly stunned into silence.

“What’s your name?”

Subaru jumped in his seat and whirled around. He let out a breath in shock as the jarring comprehension that there were other people in the room hit him.

“I-I’m Subaru!” He blurted out.

“How do you know your ability doesn’t activate, Barusu?” Ram narrowed her eyes at him. “If you have to die for it to activate, but it doesn’t activate, wouldn’t you be dead?”

“W-Well...my name is Subaru.” Subaru wavered. “And I’m pretty sure it won’t activate because I can tell people about it?”

“That makes no sense, Barusu.” Ram rolled her eyes.

“It’s Subaru...” He corrected. “Before I had these cuffs locked on, whenever I tried to tell people about Return by Death, something happened.”

“What happened, Barusu?” She asked.

“Suba-“ He sighed. “You know what? Nevermind. It used to feel like my heart was being poked and pulled by weird magical hands.”

“...Ok.” Ram turned away from him and headed towards the door, with Rem following close behind her.

“Imagine your heart beating really fa-“ He stopped himself, blinking after her retreating back. “Wait, what? Ok? Just...Ok?”

Ram turned her head a fraction, and looked at him through the corner of her eye.

“...Ok.” Subaru agreed.

“I should get going too.” Roswaal purred as he flounced away. “This conversation has been very... _informative_.”

“You’ve barely said anything!” Subaru flapped his hands in disbelief. “And why is everyone leaving?”

“It’s the end of recreation.” Emilia supplied. “We’re returning to our cells.”

“Oh.” He watched as she exited, leaving just him and four walls. “Alright.”

He walked out slowly, letting himself relax as he passed uniform grey walls and dust particles. 

He was almost in his room, a few steps away from the door, when the bell from the canteen made him shoot up from his content slouch and launch himself into his cell a few moments before the door swung shut and clicked by itself.

For a few moments, he didn’t move from his place on the floor. Subaru let his racing heart slow down until it was at an almost normal speed, before he picked himself up - only to belly flop onto his bed.

He was content to let the numb blanket of sleep fall over him as he slipped further and further into the realm of unconsciousness.

_ I feel so light...Like something’s finally off my shoulders... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! If you have any requests or suggestions (they don’t have to be for this fic, one shots are always a pleasure to write!) then please leave them in the comments. You can also contact me via Tumblr or Discord, both under the username WhovianCat.


	7. Evening

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Subaru wakes up, and finds his door unlocked. After further investigation, he meets a friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! It took a while for me to write this chapter, and in the end it sounds clunky and clumsy. The next one will probably be better :)

The giant white unicorn whale disappeared back into the land of dreams it had manifested from as Subaru groaned and rubbed his eyes. He blinked slowly as he contemplated going back to sleep.

_ I guess I’m up... _

“What time is it?” He yawned, instinctively checking his bare wrist and frowning when it held no answers for him.

He swung his legs off his bed and slipped on the shoes waiting patiently beside where his feet hung. His limbs felt heavy from sleep, and it took him longer than he cared to admit to fumble his laces into sloppy bows.

Subaru meandered over to his cell’s door after stretching his arms. He laid his hand on the cold metal. The door squeaked opened.

_ I swear it locked by itself after I went to sleep... _

He poked his head outside and glanced up and down the hallway. Nothing.

He stepped out of the room and walked past four other cells to the first turn in the corridor. Nothing.

“Where is everyone?” Subaru muttered to himself, temporarily breaking the deafening silence.

He was about to try knocking on the other cells in his block when a loud crash startled the rest of his sleep inertia away from him.

“What the-“ He jumped back. After a few seconds of nothing happening, he dared to check around the corner again.

He stared at the scene before his eyes. At first glance, it looked like there was a mountain of books on the floor. At second glance, it still looked like there was a mountain of books on the floor. It was only when the books shifted and revealed a groaning mop of grey hair that made it clear what it was.

“Otto? What are you doing?” Subaru jogged towards him and started removing the books.

“N-Natsuki?” Otto stammered. “Is that you?”

“Yep.” Subaru stretched his hand out for Otto to take.

“T-Thank you!” He grasped his hand and smiled gratefully. “You saved me!”

“It was just a couple of books.” He looked down at the scattered tomes. “What do you need these for anyway?”

“I was returning them to the library.” Otto sighed and started picking the books up again. “I knew I should have made two trips.”

“Would you like some help?” Subaru took half of Otto’s load. “I’ve got some time to kill.”

“Yes, please!” He nodded.

The two boys walked side by side, with equal burdens weighing down their arms. 

Subaru turned to Otto. “By the way, why was my cell door unlocked? I swear I heard it lock before I went to sleep...”

“You were taking a nap at this time of the day?” Otto let out a puff of laughter. “Everyone’s doors are unlocked for the evening now. Well, everyone apart from a few exceptions.”

“Exceptions?” Subaru questioned.

“Yes. There are some inmates who are...too unpredictable and dangerous to run around.” Otto shivered.

“Really?” Subaru gaped. “W-Who?”

Otto glanced around and shifted his books to one arm. He use the other hand to cup around Subaru’s ear as he whispered to him. “The witches. They don’t really hang out around any open areas, so you probably won’t meet them anytime soon.”

“They sound scary.” Subaru shivered.

“They are.” Otto stopped in front of the library door. “Thanks for helping me, Natsuki!”

“No problem.” Subaru eyes widened when Otto slipped something into his hand as he took his books from him.

“Take this.” Otto winked. “I’m a merchant. Or, more accurately, I trade and sell contraband. I can get anything for the right price.”

Subaru stared at Otto’s back blankly as the merchant entered the library. He opened his hand from where it had reflexively curled into a fist around the object.

“A pocket knife?” He flicked it open. Its blade gleamed in the artificial light. “That’s pretty useful.”

He slipped the knife into his shoe, taking care to make sure it wasn’t visible.

_ I should wander around a bit... _

“Subaru!”

“Emi-“ He breathed out.

“Subaru come on!” She insisted.

“Wha-“ He barely had enough time to think before Emilia took him by the arm and pulled him along with her.

“You really seem to love dragging me around...” Subaru sighed. He was promptly ignored in favour of increasing their speed.

“Emilia?” He stammered. “Where are we-“

“We’ll be late!” She cried out.

“For what?” He attempted.

“The meeting!” Emilia panted as they skid to a stop. 

“The common area?” Subaru recognised the large room from when Reinhard had showed him around. Speaking of...

“Reinhard!” Subaru waved at his friend.

“Subaru.” Reinhard greeted with a nod. He was standing behind Felt.

Subaru looked around curiously. There were five chairs arranged in a rough circle. Four of them were occupied, but one was vacant. 

_ Maybe these are the candidates...that would make sense. If Reinhard is standing there...then the people behind must be knights! _

Emilia beckoned to him, and they walked over to the circle. She sat down in the empty chair, and pointed to the space behind her.

_Me?_ Subaru mouthed. Emilia narrowed her eyes as if to say, _Who else?_

Subaru obediently complied. As he took his place, he shivered from the many pairs of eyes on him.

“Now that we are all present, the meeting can st-“

“My apologies, Lady Crusch. But I believe there is something we should address first.”

Subaru shrank under the glare of the speaker. Golden eyes framed with periwinkle coloured hair bored into him. Subaru pressed his lips together in what he hoped looked like a friendly smile.

_ I’ve got a bad feeling about this... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Actual, face to face school is starting for me next week :( And somehow I feel like the only one who’s happy with lockdown...I mean, I get to stay home, I have an excuse for not going out with my extroverted friends, I can sleep in, and everyone’s safer!
> 
> Anyway, you can feed me prompts and suggestions in the comments! Have a nice day :)


	8. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Subaru gets dragged to the Candidates’ meeting, and poses as Emilia’s Knight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! I’m not dead, this chapter just triggered a bout of unavoidable procrastinating! I’m also in the middle of writing another one shot, because why would I just stick to writing one fic at a time? Oh well, enjoy!

Crusch’s eyes narrowed, but she nodded in consent. “Go ahead, Sir Julius.”

Julius dipped his head in respect, and turned towards the two present members of Camp Emilia. “Lady Emilia, who is the boy standing in place of your knight?”

  
Emilia looked up at him, startled. She sat up straighter under the other Candidates curious gazes. “Oh, this is Su-“

  
“My name is Subaru Natsuki, and I’m Emilia’s best knight!” Subaru smirked as he saw Julius’ cool, half lidded look intensify into a heat-filled glare.

_ There’s no way I can let myself be intimidated by the opposition! _

“A knight?” Julius hissed. “On what premise can you call yourself a knight?”

Subaru’s brain short circuited. “W-Well...I...serve Emilia?” _Knights are just people serving important figures, right? So in that case..._

“Simply serving someone is not enough to be a knight. Instead of befouling our name, you should introduce yourself as a maid instead!” Julius maintained eye contact, unfazed, while Subaru felt his clothes soak through with cold sweat. Emilia pointedly stared at the ceiling.

“Nyah! You’re hilarious, Julius!” Someone giggled. _A cat girl?_

“H-Hey! What makes you a knight then?” Subaru retorted. “Just being born into a noble family doesn’t make you any better than me!”

“You really believe that’s all there is to being a knight?” Julius let out a bitter laugh. “How can you be so ignorant, yet still claim to be of the same rank as us?”

“That’s enough.” Crusch demanded the attention of the entire room. “Petty arguments should be taken care of after the meeting, not during it.”

Subaru nearly melted into an incapacitated puddle on the floor as Julius finally looked away from him.

The knight bowed, paying no heed to Subaru’s weak scowl. “My deepest apologies, Lady Crusch.”

“Hurry up already!” Felt snapped. “I want to get this over with!”

Reinhard silently handed her a cookie, quickly placating her.

“Is the boy leaving?” A girl holding a red fan waved at him. She seemed to be looking down on him, even though his eye level was higher than her’s.

“I’m staying.” Subaru confirmed.

Emilia glanced up at him before nodding at her. “I’d like him too, as well.”

“If you say so.” An evil smirk spread itself across her face.

Crusch sighed, before raising her hand in a crisp motion. “Let the meeting commence!”

Subaru had to resist the urge to stretch his legs more than several times during the three or so hours he spent standing behind Emilia. Although try as he might, he couldn’t stop himself from shifting a few times, the rustling of his clothes garnering the exasperated glares of almost everyone in the room.

_ Seriously, how do the other knights stand so still for so long? Julius and Reinhard haven’t even moved an inch since this started... _

At last, Crusch signalled the end of the torturous discussions. She and the cat girl were the first to leave, excusing themselves politely. 

They were followed by the Candidate he learned was called Priscilla, along with her knight, who looked like he wouldn’t seem out of place in the protagonist role of a veteran hero’s fairytale.

The only Candidates left in the room were Emilia, Anastasia, and Felt.

“Ugh! Finally!” Felt groaned. “Come on, Rein, we’re leaving!”

“Of course, my Lady.” Reinhard bowed to the remaining Candidates before faithfully followed Felt out.

Subaru yawned, his eyelids drooping listlessly.

Emilia must have sensed his exhaustion, because she patted his head gently. “I’m sorry! You must have been very bored, all we talked about were battle schedules!”

“I’m the one who asked to stay, it’s not your fau-“ Subaru’s train of thought drove itself off a cliff and sank to the bottom of the ocean as his ears caught up with his mouth. “Wait, battle schedules?”

Emilia giggled. “You probably weren’t paying attention, were you? Battle schedule are fights between members of camps. They help each Candidate display their strength.”

“That sounds pretty interesting.” Subaru grinned. He’d love to see Julius get demolished by someone else...

“Camp Emilia has a good record!” Emilia looked proud of herself. “Rem and Ram are both really great at fighting!”

“I bet they are...” Subaru grimaced in sympathy of anyone who had to face off against the terrifying twins. “What about the clown? Isn’t he part of our Camp?”

“He is. Lord Roswaal doesn’t participate though, his power is best reserved for more serious matters.” Emilia explained.

“Don’t tell me that clown’s actually some competent guy?” Subaru muttered.

Emilia stood up and brushed off her clothes. “Should we leave now, Subar-?”

“Subaru Natsuki.”   


Subaru looked up as Julius threw down his glove. 

  
“I challenge you to a fight to the death!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recommend you watch Radiant! It’s an awesome anime, and I love it! I’ve developed a crush for Dragunov, he’s kind of a good bad guy? Anyway, prompts or requests for one shots are always welcome! Have a nice day :)

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t really have a storyline for this, so feel free to launch any suggestions at me in the comments!


End file.
